Of course, with a significant change in personnel going forward, Kelly will make some tweaks after seeing what he has to work with in the spring. Keeping that in mind, here's a look at how three of the Eagles' key offensive pieces will be impacted by the loss of DeSean Jackson:

Nick Foles - Foles was lights-out to pretty much every receiver last year, but he had great success targeting Jackson specifically. Per Pro Football Reference (thanks to Derek Sarley for the link), Foles was 50-for-71 (70.4 percent) for 808 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception when targeting Jackson. That's a passer rating of 135.2. Foles threw downfield (20+ yards) on 17.4 percent of his overall attempts, per Pro Football Focus. That was the highest percentage of any QB in the league. Without Jackson, that number likely dips in 2014.

Foles has never seemed like a guy who gets bothered by wide receivers throwing their hands in the air and complaining when they don't get them the ball. He's also someone who will never question organizational decisions. But the bottom line is this: It will be difficult for the Eagles' QB to repeat his downfield success without one of the game's most dangerous vertical threats.

Jeremy Maclin - We caught up with Maclin last week, and it seemed pretty clear that he felt the Eagles would do just fine without Jackson. Maclin has been somewhat overshadowed by Jackson since entering the league in 2009. He has never had a 1,000-yard season and is coming off an ACL injury he suffered last July. We'll see what the Eagles do in the draft, but Maclin is the favorite right now to be the team's No. 1 wide receiver. The guess is Maclin will line up both outside and in the slot. He's never been the vertical threat Jackson is, but has been productive throughout his career. If healthy, Maclin could lead the team in targets and will get a chance to show he's deserving a big-money long-term contract.

Riley Cooper - His job just got more difficult. Cooper was asked last year to beat man coverage, often with no safety help over the top. And he performed better than many (including yours truly) expected. Without Jackson on the other side, Cooper will likely have to deal with more attention from opposing defenses. Considering how much '11' personnel the Eagles used last year, Cooper figures to play a big role even if the team drafts a wide receiver early.

His ball skills are outstanding, but Cooper was wise to cash in this offseason. He'll have to prove next year that there was nothing flukey about 2013.

The problem I have with all this is the failure of the two sides to stay on the same page for the greater good of the team. Why couldn't Jackson play within the rules? Why didn't the Eagles try harder to get their message across?

I find it difficult to believe that the Eagles could not talk things through with their leading receiver.

The Eagles employ a security detail - "fixers" as they are sometimes known - whose job is almost exclusively digging up information on players. Jackson's association with reputed Crips gang members had been commonly known for years.

Releasing Jackson after the story was posted also made it seem as if the Eagles came to the realization that they would now get nothing in return once teams were made aware of the connection. Every team, though, already knew of Jackson's reputation when they scouted the first-round talent before the 2008 draft.

COMING UP

We'll see how Jackson's visit with the Redskins goes and analyze where the Eagles go from here.

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Engwrite

No mention of Sproles? He’ll be asked to catch passes rather than run the ball. Pending the draft, they likely see him as Jackson’s replacement

sdk152

Working on a separate, more lengthy post about Sproles and his role. Kelly had some interesting things to say about him at the owners meetings. Look for the write-up later this week. -SK

travis papa

Can you write an article on the WR depth chart. It is likely to have 1 returning member from the active roster riley cooper. Avant Jackson Johnson & Maehl are all likely gone. Cooper Maclin Benn and 2-3 rookies? I see Adams Mathews moncrief Janis as mid rd options and maybe enunwa & trey Burton as undrafted options. Need a pile of guys to go to camp

eagle fan dwn south

I’m sure the jet sweep will be coming this year Sproles in our offense

GEAGLE

Come on Sheil, we got a Desean pool going!! Chill with the spoilers JK

Eagles1018

This is really the only place I go for my team info. I barely even go to the team website anymore. Thanks dude you’re doing a great job

Uncle Wonder

I hope Kelly doesnt think that a player who is SMALLER and OLDER will be an adequate replacement for DJax. Sproles is more a possession receiver than anything…nobody is rolling a safety over top to make sure Sproles doesnt beat them deep for 60yds

aub32

Thank You. All this “Sproles will replace DeSean” talk is nonsense. He’s a nice addition, but the guy won’t even start. He can’t line up outside and play WR, and no one is fearing him running and end around.

Will

aub32 at least wait till after the draft and the Eagles first game before crying the sky is falling. Have some faith in the HC Chip Kelly and his plan. DeSean got shut down against the Saints in the play offs. Remember Bigger people beat up little people. Sure enough it happened. Now Chip will go get his guy in the draft.

aub32

He didn’t get shutdown. Someone has to throw him the ball. Foles and the Oline underperformed. Also, who said the sky is falling. I have said many times that I don’t expect this offense to fall apart, but the sentiment that this offense will be better without DJax is ludicrous. Also, dismissing the fact that Maclin is coming off a major injury and never put up #1 stats seems silly. I like Ertz. Sproles is a nice addition, but neither of those guys are top 10 – 20 at their position. They don’t even start. So forgive me if I don’t think this offense can replace top 10 production with backups.

Will

The draft is just around the corner and I trust the HC Chip Kelly has a plan in place that just did not include DJax. This Offense will be better in time without DJax.

aub32

Does he have a plan? I’m sure he does. Does that mean this offense will be ok? I do trust Chip knows much more than I. Does that mean the team will be nearly as explosive? No. Also, coaches do make mistakes, and losing DeSean with no compensation is a big one.

RIP illa

Not you too Will. Smh.

addicted2mula

I’m tired of reading about Jackson. He is off the team now. Lets move on! THANK YOU

ochospantalones

Dude, it’s been 3 days. This is the first weekday since it happened. If they are still posting regular DeSean updates in August, complain then.

addicted2mula

Yes 3 days since he been off the team. But him as a topic for what weeks now?. Every story has something about him. We get it we Released Him either its going to be good or bad. We wont find out till after the season. Once he gets sign it will be more stories. Enough about him!

ochospantalones

There is plenty left to report on DeSean. For one thing, we still don’t even know why they released him. Well, everyone seems to think they personally know why, but there is no actual consensus (it’s because he’s a gangbanger! no, it’s because he missed meetings and was late to practice! no, it’s because Chip likes big receivers! no, it’s because they didn’t think he was worth $10.5 million! no, it’s because he argued with the receivers coach! no, it’s because he didn’t fit the system! no, it’s because he asked for a new contract!).

And this particular story is about how it will affect the remaining players, which seems like the sort of topic you should be interested in if you want to move forward.

addicted2mula

Who may never know why. They can say why but we don’t know if its the truth. Second we can talk about this later in the offseason. Every topic is about Jackson. Can we have a day off about him shit a week. Look they just added another one lol

ochospantalones

I wish they would post about important breaking news like……. the draft, which is 5+ weeks away.

Johnny Domino

Does the catch behind Cooper in the Detroit game count as a “target”?

Will

Maybe this affects DeSean in a positive way and he rethinks who he chooses to hang with. The draft is not to far away and we get too see who the Eagles target for the plan they have in place. DeSean is a special talent but the Eagles Offense is flexible to bring out the best in mismatches with the players they have. I trust Chip Kelly to find a way to make the Offense just as effective or even better without DeSean. Well one things for sure and two for certain DeSean is no longer an Eagle. I want to move on from DJax. I really do not care where he lands or for how much.

scrapple sports

My first thought was McCoy’s job just got harder.

oreofestar

Not really in fact I expect less carries

GEAGLE

When we burn defenses out of two back sets throwing to Sproles, it should open things up for shady…
..
Yes when defenses load the box we like to go over the top, but we also throw bubble screens and attack defenses horizontally when the box is stacked…Kelly is no fool, if he couldn’t live without Desean he would be here…
…
We can use the gang excuse, the bad team mate excuse, but fact of nthe matter is, if Desean went to Howie and said, I want to take a pay cut to remain an eagle he would still be here(not that I’m saying he should have taken a pay cut)
…
Desean is a great WR, but not an elite one. If we have to overlook his limitations and pay him like the elite WRs, then he should be the model team mate….he is not, so he shouldn’t make 30mil the next 3 years

aub32

The problem is Sproles isn’t a young pup anymore. He still has some wiggle, but do you really expect him to scare the better LBs. The bwtter teams have LBs that are as fast as Sproles. Wait until we have to face SEA, SF and CAR. those LBs matched up very well with Sproles. Jackson would be a much better asset against those teams, especially SF and CAR who don’t have such a beastly secondary.

GEAGLE

Just spent the weekend watching the first 5 saint games of the season. And on offense, I have yet to see a hint of him slowing down….Jenkins had 3 really impressive games, an average game and a bad one….I’m going to watch the next 13 games in the next two weeks and then I will be more comfortable dicussing Sproles…
….
When Ertz develops he will be a matchup nightmare for LBs and Safeties, hopefully he is ready to be that player in year two….having a RB AND a TE that’s difficult to match up with. Is going to drive defenses crazy..hopefully Ertz is ready to be that guy…..but two more EXPLOSIVE weapons are on the way, so i wouldn’t go running around like the sky is falling just yet…every problem we could potentially have on offense, Chip has already thought of

aub32

Again, we differ here. You are guaranteeing two more explosive weapons, but you honestly have no idea. That’s not a shot. That’s the truth. Maybe after the draft you can jump on the new guys and explain why they will succeed, but I prefer to deal with what I know. I know right now the team is worse off without Jackson. I know a lot of people are expecting an awful lot from a guy who has never put up #1 numbers even though he was receiving less attention. He’s also coming off of major knee surgery. I know an old #2 RB is not about to become one of the best deep threats in the league, nor will he require a safety over the top.

GEAGLE

Lol yeah ok…we aren’t drafting WRs….GOT IT

aub32

Who said we aren’t drafting WRs? You act like every WR drafted is a guaranteed hit. There are still busts G.

GEAGLE

Don’t expect us to draft many busts in this draft…we put way too much emphasis on Charecter to be busting…now, will the WR we draft be ready to contribute as a rookie, that’s a different story and depends on the WR we draft….guys like ODB and Jordan Mathews will be ready to contribute day one where as guys like Devante,KB,Moncreif might need to be eased in. Lol we haven’t drafted a bust in Iike 2 years, this will be chips MONEY draft….if we bust while he knows all the college players, we have PROBLEMS

aub32

I’m sorry but I refuse to believe that any team is guaranteed not to bust. That’s just crazy. Also, I am looking at this year, and that’s why I think it’s silly to think one let alone 2 rookies are going to come in here and be major contributors. That just doesn’t happen often. Now if Chip makes some crazy trade to get Evans, I’m on board. However, I will not before the draft think that we have one of the better WR corps in the league right now.

Joe from Easton

Ertz is going to be a problem for defenses this year. I really have no doubt about that. He will be a top five TE by the season’s end and I think Kelly believes that. He’s going to spread the field and hit ‘em where it hurts; right down the middle.

You’ll have Ertz tearing up the seem and demanding a linebacker/safety bracket so you get to keep your single coverage on the outside even without DeSean and now you’ll have Sproles finding the soft spot underneath.

Our offense is going to be fine, now we need to build up the big D.

aub32

Come one! Not you too Joe. A top 5 TE? Where is this coming from? I like the guy too, but can he start a game or two before we start putting him in the top 5.

GEAGLE

Have you ever seen him run in person? When you draft a TE at the top of round 2, if he doesn’t develop into a serious weapon, then he is a complete bust

aub32

Yes. But he’s talking top 5. Running isn’t the only thing a TE has to do. I can agree with top 16. Top 5 is a huge leap.

Joe from Easton

I don’t get all giddy over players because of bias or because what Geagle says. I just know who I like based off of being a fan and my understanding of the game. What I’m saying is it’s my belief that Ertz will breakout in a big way next season because of a multitude of factors. You can feel free to disagree, but I won’t be convinced otherwise because what I’m saying is pure speculation, and I know it.

aub32

I don’t mind speculation. That’s what we all do on these boards. I just don’t get reckless speculation. Is he fast? Yes. Did he make some good catches? Yes. However he was easily the 5th concern for defenses. His stats were less than mediocre. I just don’t get where your top 5 speculation could be coming from other than homerism, because his on field production doesn’t scream top 5 or even top 10.

Joe from Easton

Look up statistics for TE’s as rookies. They’re always mediocre. Then look up where the leap that the really good one’s made in year two…Actually, let me do that for you. See below please.

Ertz had a better rookie season than everyone on this list except for Gronk and arguable Graham. None of them besides Gronk were scary as freshman, but sophomore year they blew up.

That is the basis of my argument. Feel free to disagree for the same reason that you just did, but I kind of proved it to be a bit invalid.

aub32

I would have left Gronk off of that list. There is nothing mediocre about 10 TDs in any season. I do see your point and can now get where you can make that leap from a stats standpoint. I still don’t expect him to be a top 5 guy, and that’s more because he was so low on the list of priorities for defenses. I like to see guys succeed despite being the #1 or #2 focus before I start projecting them to be one of the best in the game.

Joe from Easton

It’s a fair caution to have and I’m not trying to dissuade you of it. I just have a firm belief that he’s going to make a jump like that.

Also, I put Gronk on there because I wanted to show my list wasn’t biased. Further, I even said Gronk’s rookie season was clearly better than Ertz’s and honestly it’s probably the best rookie season for a TE ever so it doesn’t really hurt my argument.

Richard Colton

It’s an interesting chart Joe. Some blogger, maybe Tommy or Sheil, did a similar comparison. When you cherry pick players who had outstanding 2nd years, it’s a very convincing argument. When you use players who were simply drafted in the same range as Ertz – not so much.

What I’m saying is this – Ertz’ numbers from year one give us a reason to be hopeful, but in no way do they guarantee a 2nd year breakout. Instead, what I think augers well on his behalf is his lack of a full off season (NCAA rules) as well as how effusive his teammates were with their praise. I think we’re going to see a great season from him.

Joe from Easton

I understand what you’re saying however I did not cherry pick players with outstanding second years. I just tried to pick some of the top TE’s of past and present who came to mind. The chart above is what I came up with.

Conversely I looked up a few TE’s who aren’t known as great TE’s and their year one numbers were far less than those of Ertz or anyone else on the chart. I didn’t think to look up TE’s drafted around 35th overall though so I can’t speak to that end.

The chart was just one example of my reasoning for believing in Ertz. The praise that he has received and the shortened off-season also weigh in on my opinion, I just failed to mention them. I wanted to go with something tangible.

Regardless I think you and I are on the same page and that is that he will do very well in year two.

Adam G

Except besides Ertz there was Eifert and Reed this year.

Joe from Easton

Both of whom are primed to be big time players too. The TE position has become a primary receiving position in the past 5 – 10 years and becomes more so every season. I just believe Ertz is in a better position than those guys to break out; better QB, offensive system more adept at getting the TE involved, and a shortened off season last year.

aub32

I don’t know about QB. I would put RG3, Dalton, and Foles in the same category right now. Foles had a better year, but we can’t just forget RG3’s rookie season or Dalton never missing the post season.

Joe from Easton

I agree, it’s an arguable statement.

Adam G

Except Reed was by far the most productive his rookie year.

GEAGLE

I designated Ertz as one of my two Keepers in fantasy,..that should tell you what I expect out of him in year two

GEAGLE

Lol yes I know, route running, catching the football also Matter,and I doubt you can point to an issue he has in those two areas….

aub32

He had some bad drops G. Also, blocking plays a part when you are talking top 5. Plus he was the 5th option last year. Let’s see how he does starting before placing him with the elite TEs.

Joe from Easton

I’m going off of what I’ve seen and my understanding of the game. He had one of the better seasons for a rookie TE in NFL history, he’s got a TE friendly coach/scheme, and he’s got a QB who can go through progressions. He’s got the size and athleticism of all of the excellent TE’s in the league except Graham.

Will

Na thinking they draft Mike Evans a big, tall. fast target that can be effective in the red zone. McCoy will still be McCoy. The Defenses will have to worry about Darren Sproles the Eagles Offense will be just fine.

IrishEagle25

He definitely wont make it to 22 how would you trade up?

Will

The only way I would think is next years first rd and our 3rd this year maybe. See him going around 10-12th pick.That’s Howie’s job he will figure it out I’m sure. If that’s who Chip Kelly wants the Eagles go get’em.

IrishEagle25

Hadn’t really thought about using next years one.. But I suppose with so many underclassmen coming out this year a one next year might not be worth as much, to either team..

Uncle Wonder

I thought this team wanted to build through the draft…why would we be essentially giving up 2 1st rounders on one unproven player? This also goes against Rosemans comments about this being a deep WR draft where talent will fall.

Will

One 1st next year and a 3rd this year leaving us with our 22nd overall 1st rd pick this year which could be used to trade back for more picks. A lot of underclassmen came out this year like stated above. We have a huge hole at WR beyond Cooper and Maclin…God forbid the injury bug bite either one then what? Chip Kelly devoted a lot of time with Mike Evans. Not sure who the Eagles will target in the draft or how exactly it all pans out. I just like everyone else will find out May 8th.

FluxCapacitor

I would think the TE’s would also be affected. If there will be more 8 in the box looks, their shorter routes will be harder to complete. Of course, if there are more two TE sets that may force it, allowing the vertical plays…should be interesting.

mfm

Really feel the larger storyline here is what the financial model of our offense will be – are we going to be the Cowboys (huge contracts devoted to multiple WRs like Dez, Miles Austin, Roy Williams, etc) or the Saints/Seahawks/Patriots? This is the second step of the move of cutting Avant when he was due $3MM+ this year – not just because he was old, but because of the economic / schematic vision of the team.

With 60%+ of our overall cap devoted to the offense (and Foles due a raise next summer), I think the team is making a pretty clear statement here that the sum of the parts is greater than any individual talent – especially one that isn’t fully bought in to Kelly’s vision.

Kelly believes – and the Saints kind of prove the model – that you can plug in very serviceable, low cost players into a disruptive offensive system and it can work with tremendous results. I don’t need to have a personal man crush on Kelly or Howie to see the validity in that vision – guys we currently have on the roster + a high draft pick + an additional low-cost veteran or two will still crush in this system.

Ark87

True enough, makes sense with the spread. Spread them out, test the depth of their DB’s (a weakness in the nfl currently) against the depth of our WR’s. Sure you may not have an ideal number 1…and he may get shut down, but someone is going to be over-matched somewhere. The key with this design lies in the QB. He has to be able to find that weakness.

aub32

We don’t really have depth at WR though. Coop is a low end #2. Mac is a high end #2. Who is left at WR?

Ark87

not just WR, probably should have said “pass catchers” , throw sproles and Ertz into there, along with shady out of the backfield, they’ll have their hands full.

aub32

I don’t often see DBs lining up to go against Shady or Sproles.

Ark87

if a LB lines up on sproles, that’s the mismatch we want. He will likely get a safety over him.

aub32

Did you forget who we play this year? I’ll take Kuechly over Sproles. Wagner over Sproles. Bowman over Sproles. Hell even Sean Lee when healthy (which I know is a stretch) over Sproles.

Ark87

Did you watch that championship game? I’m not worried about bowman.

Besides those are star LB’s, if we get one of them over sproles, we do what we really want to do. Run the ball.

aub32

That’s the thing though. Bowman wasn’t even their best LB. We will all dig Sproles when we are facing the Giants and Jags, but I think we will miss DJax when facing the better teams.

Ark87

Disagree on that, Bowman overtook Patrick Willis last season, imo. Thinking about Seattle, I think the results would be about the same with Jackson vs Sherman or Maclin vs Sherman…that result being shut down. I don’t like our odds vs Seattle much either way tbh. Jackson probably could have exploited the 9ers and Carolina, though. That’s not an option anymore, so we have to find the mismatch elsewhere.

aub32

That’s why I left out SEA. There’s no shame in any WR getting shut down against Sherman. My one argument for Jackson is that he could offer as a decoy is the backfield that may draw more attention than Sproles in the backfield. However, I think we agree that against some of these top defenses that Sproles will not make up for what we lost in DJax.

Ark87

yeah, I’ll be the first to admit that the model I mentioned doesn’t fare well against an absolutely stacked defense. We will need to find a guy that absolutely cannot be shut down without at least 2 guys watching him at all times. Our talent level definitely went down in the WR category (so far anyway) and that in no way helps. But I think (or maybe hope) the damage will be minimized as much as possible by our scheme.

aub32

I agree with all of that, except for a WR who can’t be shutdown. Those guys are really really hard to find. I do think DJax was a guy who required extra attention against most teams and got the job done more often than not. I will be happy with a guy like that. He’s just not on the team right now. I am interested in your thoughts, but currently I don’t see a single pass catcher that demands extra attention and most certainly don’t see a guy who can consistently beat extra coverage.

Ark87

On our team, no. In the draft, only time will tell. In the League, there is only 1 guy….Megatron. There are some up an coming guys though. Josh Gordon might get there. Andre Johnson and Larry Fitz used to be there. I guess I used “need” and that’s a bit strong. Ultimately we just want a #1 that can beat any CB in the league some of the time 1 on 1. We def don’t have that guy currently.

dnabrice

A single journeyman DB shut down Jackson in the Saints game.

aub32

If you think that’s what happened, please go rewatch the Saints game. Thanks.

RIP illa

Jesus Christ these kids are so F’n stupid with the whole Keenan Lewis thing!!! Although there is clear evidence that it did not happen, they just keep repeating the same shit. I really can’t understand how people can actually get through life being this way…smh.

aub32

The funnier thing is how badly Cole played against a rookie with one game under his belt. Yet people like G talk about how good our front 7 is/will be. Then thsy bring up DeSean forgetting how poorly the O line played or how slowly Foles started off.

RIP illa

Seriously. mycatsnamedmilk, did a fan lost on BGN with All-22 7-8 plays in which Foles didn’t deliver the ball to open players. Most of them were in the 1st 1/2 when our O was stalling out and 5 were when DJax was wide open. That ish was critical to the fact that we lost the game. But they’re all so quick to eschew any blame to Foles. Stating that he brought us back and all. Which I can understand to a degree. However, if they’re gonna go that route then the need to get some intelligence about the game as a whole and layoff the BS and hypocrisy when it comes or came to DJax.

aub32

A lot of fans are either lazy or choose to be ignorant on the facts because they have certain feelings or bias toward a player. I am a fan of Jackson, but I try to see his weaknesses as well. He’s not the best WR in the game. The team can still put up points. However, he won’t be easily replaced, and there are very few players in the league that can do what he does. Defenses don’t fear any other pass catcher on this team. Rookies don’t often step in and produce. I’m just hoping DJax doesn’t go to the Redskins where he can prove how right I am twice a year. Who in our secondary will stop him?

RIP illa

Exactly. I think some talked about this last night, and apparently it was Boykin who they said was the DJax stopper! I just LMAO. Not saying that Boykin can’t win against him on occasion, but he can’t consistently stop DJax. Never has in his 2 years of being here.

WRs and DBs on the same team, don’t go at it much in practice…they do their serious battles in camp. And since his time here, DJax has owned every single DB he lined up against, way more often than not, with one exception. And that was DRC. DRC was the only one who had not only the speed, but who also had the length to make DJax’s camp days very difficult.

Cary can’t stop him, and DJax beat his ass like a drum in 12 when we went up against the Ravens. Fletch can’t hope, and hasn’t done so in camp. Boykin’s our best hope, but only a homer and an idiot thinks he can consistently lockdown DJax.

aub32

Aww man that’s too much. Boykin doesn’t play outside. I wonder how many people have actually gone to camp and watched DJax embarrass our secondary. The only way any team has ever limited Jackson is by having a CB who can jam him (which we don’t have) or a good safety to help out on the back end (which we don’t have).

GEAGLE

Not sure about that….LB will get killed by Ertz,,,Ertz presence should command a safety, allowing shady and Sproles to exploit the Linebackers

Ark87

exactly, there is only so much coverage talent on the field, at some point our pass catching talent overtakes them and we get a mismatch, if not, they have sole out the wrong way, and we run the ball down their throats.

GEAGLE

Basically…..people are nuts to think Chip doesn’t know his offense. Chip isn’t down to score 20 points a game..if he didn’t know he knew how to use what we have to hang 30 a game on teams, we would have never considered losing Desean….Yous wanna question Chip cutting a popular defender! that’s fair game….but when you install a top NFL offense the moment you arrive and you are playing with Avant and Celek, then yeah I’m not to worried about Chips offensive vision….If Chip was pissed about losing Desean, I would worry, but he was on board with it…so don’t see how any fan can possibly think he doesn’t already have an answer

Will

Sproles makes his money in YAC and is a nightmare to cover…Shifty to good for most Safeties in the NFL…that’s what you want Sproles with the ball and 1 Safety to beat….

GEAGLE

Seriously doubt many teams have the LB and Safeties who can stop us when we send Shady and Sproles on wheel routes down each sideline while Ertz runs a seem route…one of those 3 players should be wide open. This forces defenses to defend Ertz with a safety…teams didn’t have LBs who could stick with shady on wheel routes…no way to I believe a team will have two LBs who can stick with shady and sproles

sprawl

I’m pretty sure my next Eagles jersey is going to have a Z on the back–could be a big year!

TripSquadMonopoly

Why is everyone so sold on Ertz? Because he has so much potential? He hasn’t done squat

DetmerWonAHeisman

Let’s not forget that Sproles had over 70 receptions last season and Maclin obviously had zero being hurt. With both of these guys plugged into the Eagles offense this season, there was NO WAY DJax was going to come close to 100 receptions this season. I understand they lose some of the deep threat, but we know they are going to draft a WR that should fill the deep threat void….

IrishEagle25

Thinking hertz will play more as well, even being used so little at the start he had one of the better rookie years for a TE in history.. Think it was kempski had that story

aub32

Since when did DJax need 100 receptions to put up 1000 yards. Also, there’s no guarantee that whoever we draft will be a deep threat. There are fast guys every year. The odds are that most of them will never be the player that DJax is.

Will

I also think the Eagles add pieces in the draft to further improve the Defense which will help the team overall.

G_WallyHunter

Johnny g does this one count?
It mightbe Jackson influenced but at least it focusses on the team right

oreofestar

yeah this one counts, it is directly influenced

GEAGLE

Come on, of course this one counts….I don’t wanna see Deseans name in the damn headline of one stinking article

G_WallyHunter

Ya lol was just joshin.. tomorrow’s wake-up call won’t have it in the title!!

GEAGLE

Dorenbos was told that if he keeps flashing Amish mafia gang sign after PATs, he will be next on the chopping block! E true Hollywood story

He’s played for 6 years and only missed significant time one year. Julio Jones just missed most of a season. So why do you continue to think Jackson is any closer to missing games than any other WR? The team is definitely worse off on the field. To think otherwise is foolish, unless you think talent has now become a detriment.

knighn

On paper: the Eagles don’t look as strong. You can’t dispute how things look on paper. Until the Eagles actually line up, we won’t know the reality of their strength. It could turn out that a larger WR further strengthens the run game and opens up more options over the middle and top.
In my opinion, DeSean is more likely to miss time for three reasons:
1) His size – he’s smaller than the overwhelming majority of WRs and NFL players, not just in height, but in weight.
2) His two concussions. As we know: these tend to be cumulative.
3) His foolishness. I believe he will continue to do things that will cost him full-effort playing time. Whether that is a suspension or simply another choice to not give full effort.

Adam G

I think on paper Sproles + Maclin>Desean, but we’ll see how it plays out

Uncle Wonder

Idk if it is that simple…i am only assuming this so correct me if im wrong but you cant say maclin will hv 70 rec and sproles will have 60 so that = 130 rec combined compared to say 85 for one djax. i will be very uncomfortable going into the season if those 2 players are viewed as being replacements for DJax production. we will need another quality WR

Adam G

I would never just add like that. I’m saying from a standpoint of offensive efficiency, throughout the season, assuming all players stay healthy. Having sproles and maclin in my opinion will produce higher offensive efficiency than just having desean.

aub32

I think you are forgetting the fact that this time last week the team had all 3 players. This isn’t a matter of DJax vs. Mac and Sproles. All 3 players could have been on this team, and there’s no way you will sit here and tell me DJax, Mac, and Sproles < Mac and Sproles.

knighn

I think I get what Aub32 was saying – On paper, DeSean + Maclin + Sproles looks better than Maclin + Sproles and I completely get it. The Eagles O, on paper, would seem to be stronger with DJax than without him. That may not play out to be the reality. On Paper the 2011 Eagles looked even stronger than the 2010 Eagles. That was not the reality.

Uncle Wonder

I dont buy that size = injury risk…his size doesnt make him more susceptible to ankle sprains, blown out knees, or concussions…now fighting for 50/50 balls or running red zone fade patterns sure…but not soft tissue or even bone injuries

knighn

Two players collide at a high speed. One has thirty pounds of muscle more than the other. Who who do you think, logically, is more likely to walk away with a greater injury? Did I do research on this? No. Does this seem to be a logical conclusion? Yes.
I don’t have the blind trust in Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman that others do. I do believe, with all sincerity, that when Chip Kelly says, “Big People beat up little people” that it’s more than a catch phrase. The man loves math, science and research. They strongly believe in measureables, and I understand why, even if I did not do the research myself.
Some things you don’t need to wonder about. Some things just make sense.

aub32

That’s not often the case though. Many injuries are noncontact. Also, I don’t care how big a player is if he gets hit in the head or the knee. Speaking from a physics standpoint the bigger object does more damage, but you are grossly ignoring key factors. First off DJax is a smart player that knows when to protect himself. He’s too fast to get caught. He has 6 years worth of a relatively healthy career. So your point is pretty invalid since you are ignoring so many details.

knighn

Two concussions, already, and fractured ribs. You know who else had fractured ribs in the last few seasons? Vick. You know how he tried to prevent additional injuries? He wore a new vest and he put on some more muscle weight. Why why do you think he tried to get bigger? Oh, yeah: size matters.
If Jackson was truly “too fast to get caught” he simply wouldn’t get caught. Are you suggesting that DeSean never gets tackled? It appears that you are ignoring one major detail: reality.

Brian

Who’s Affected By Jackson’s Absence?

Birds 24/7 Certainly Is.

oreofestar

Who is affected most is ODB he will have to contribute a little more as a rookie but I believe

Token

I really feel hes almost a 0% possibility. Chip wants a bigger guy in the outside role I think. I could see them passing up ODB to draft a bigger guy thats viewed as a lesser WR if thats how the board fell. But I think they will have better options then that anyway.

Jarrod

Allen Robinson maybe? Who are the bigger guys and where do you see them going in the draft?

Will

Mike Evans 6’5″ 231lbs. around the 10th-12th pick in round 1….

GEAGLE

Big guys A Rob, Mocreif, Mathews,KB, Devante…none of these guys will be drafted with the top 21 picks

Adam G

You have any thoughts on Janis? He sure does have the measurables.

GEAGLE

Not familiar enough yet to speak on him…I can regurgitate what I have read, but what’s the point? He plays for one of our players alma mater so someone was raving about him on twitter the other day, maybe Herremans, can’t remember

travis papa

We almost have to come out of the draft with 2wrs now one early and 1 late plus 2-4 UDFA just so we don’t feel compelled to have maehl & Johnson on the roster. I never thought they would trade down til now just thought they would stay put like they did most of last yr now it seems inevitable. Have to draft hybrid players like telvin smith that can play LB and a 3rd S look. Cb with safety experience and size. Dee ford looks more intriguing with being a DE for nickel & enough athleticism as an OLB. This is going to be a draft where Kelly truly stresses his emphasis on versatility.

GEAGLE

As great as FOles was throwing Desean, he was so lights out that you could use his stats to make any point….for example, you can write about his great percentage throwing to Desean. But FOles was his most effective with Two TEs on the field…I’m sure his numbers throwing to Cooper are impressive, so no the sky isn’t falling..
…
Btw, yes when we read Maclins quotes they seem like it was no big deal to him, but when you hear how he spoke about it, his tone was BAFFLED by the Desean, stuttering to explain how losing Desean could be ok

Token

Im thinking even tho last year was a success, im not sure its exactly what Kelly wanted to do offensively. Way too many 3rd and longs. Way too many 3 and outs. Got to deep ball dependent. Many games we couldnt even get rolling in the fast pace offense because we couldnt sustain drives.

I think he will want a bigger WR outside that has less trouble beating press man. That was really the book on us. Play press man, even with a single high safety and you will have success. I think Kelly hated that. But theres not much he could do. He had to work to hide Jackson, put him in motion etc to try and get him off press. I gotta think it could all be more efficient if hes got a guy who can shed the press and catch a quick slant pass.

We also had too many sacks. Nick has to work on getting it out quicker. But the many long developing plays didnt help much either. I think last year Chip just worked with what he had to work with in the best way he could. And he found some success. But in the tough games it didnt go too well.

All this factors into why Jackson is gone. Its a football decision. I think they havent liked him in the locker room for a while now, but Chip isnt Andy and decided to do something about it. I dont think Chip liked him on the field that much either. He changed up the way hed like to do things in order to have the best offense he could given the situation, but I dont think its how he WANTS to do things. Jackson couldnt really play that Mamba role either. Hes not good out of the backfield. He struggled on all the quick screens. Often just running out of bounds. Doesnt follow blockers well. Lazy off the ball.

Chip wants to get the tempo going consistently. He was more yards on 1st and 2nd downs. More 3rd and shorts where the D cant just pin their ears back and rush Foles because its a obvious pass. I think we will see more sustained drives. A more consistent offense. Not taking as many deep shots. Im sure Chip is gonna grab a big frame WR in the first two rounds. A guy that can do better on the quick slant or bubble screen. Sproles should be more dangerous in that short slot game than Avant ever was. I expected good things from Maclin in this offense. Cooper is a nice cog to the machine. More 2 or 3 TE sets. And of course Shady.

I think we could be a even harder team to defend without Jackson.

Wilbert31

We haven’t used the slant effectively in years. Maybe its so glaring because other teams use it so effortlessly against us, but c’mon man!

Stuart Philp

It’s a great move for the team going forward. It makes sense financially, culturally, and Maclin and Sproles getting their fair share of touches should easily cover the loss in production. As you say, if we can pick up a good WR in the draft we’ll have all the weapons we need and will be even harder to defend.

Leegles

If the defense improves through the draft and the Eagles offense, still with plentiful weapons plus an extraordinary lack of turnovers, merely scores 30 points per game instead of 40+ per game with D-Jax, they should win a bunch of games. Deep threat, explosive WR play is nice, but it means very little if the D can’t maintain the lead.

GEAGLE

Please sign Jacoby Ford to a minimum contract….we can get 4.25 blow the top off a defense speed for very cheap. KR/PR long ball threat…26yrs old. Has only played with Raider QB since entering the league 3 years ago…

G_WallyHunter

Ya come on chip, do something popular, dono why they haven’t at least looked into them

GEAGLE

If he cost money, I wouldn’t want him….but he will come so cheap that you can easily cut him if you don’t like what you see in camp…and when you have only played with Raiders QBs, I’d be intruiged to see what he can do in a real offense

aub32

Fast does not equal deep threat. This is terrible logic.

GEAGLE

Ford is a deep ball WR…so I’m not sure wtf you are talking about

Adam G

Think you are reaching with this one. Guy is not productive at all. Only had 13 catches for 100 yards last year

cliff henny

as 6th guy ST kor/pr, vet min, why not? comes in 3or4 plays a game to run wind sprints down sidelines to stretch defense, there’s worse options-like brad smith and A Benn

GEAGLE

Yeah I’m not even talking bout guarenteeing him a roster spot…at the cheap price he will sign for, we could easily cut him if we don’t like what we see…also like that he is a stocky lil Mofo…..rather see what that kid could do with a real offense, then watch Damaris or maehl

cliff henny

ugh, 2 more crappy WRs, yeah, better get 2 in draft. still cant believe Lurie didn’t want to unload an eagles’ issue on another team and not get a pick.

GEAGLE

Yeah that still stings for sure!!

ODBorBustAllDay

Ford is a better player than either Maehle or Johnson. Id rather give those practice reps to a specimen like Momah than Maehl, or Johnson….. Benn is a big question mark. Wouldn’t shock me if he ends up cut. I fear Kelly REALLY likes Brad Smith for his running ability.

GEAGLE

OMG, I’d give anything for one of those memory erasers from men in black to erase Momah from every eagles fans memory…SMH

ODBorBustAllDay

No. I’d John Mayberry that kid every year til he catches on.

GEAGLE

Lol what WR could you fathom being productive in the raiders offense of the past 3 seasons?

GEAGLE

How do you REACH on a camp flier who you don’t guarentee a roster spot to? Lol

Adam G

Eagles wouldn’t be reaching, you are reaching as somebody who could help the offense. Guy has been almost non existent his whole career. Classic fast raiders guy who can’t play.

GEAGLE

Do you understand that “reaching on a camp flier” is an OXYMORON?
…
I said he is worth a camp look, never have I written about how he will help our offense, so Please don’t waste my time twisting my words….as long as you have Damaris and Maehl in camp. YES his talent is worth taking a look at….
….
What WR do you think could have ever been successful in the Raiders offense these past 3 years? Doubt Calvin Johnson could have thrown the ball to himself

aub32

No! He is a fast STer. Hester was/is fast too. Was he ever a deep ball WR? No! Speed does not make a guy a deep ball threat. In that case there would be 5 DeSean Jacksons coming out of each draft.

JosephR2225

I am affected by the absence of Jackson. Now I have to move that jersey down to the far end of the closet next to Ricky Watters, Troy Vincent, and Donovan McNabb.

cliff henny

i’d wear the running Watters with pride, that guy was a walking soundbite. the ‘for who for what, not me’ is top 10 in my book

GEAGLE

I was at that game, when I got home, my first girlfriend dumped me lol

Maggie

Troy Vincent? That man is moving on up! Maybe should start wearing his jersey again. Show you knew “way back when” that he would go places.

mike

Brandon Cooks is even faster than DeSean, he will be the deep threat.
Also Sproles will open up the offense even more…and of course Maclin will now catch many of the passes that went to Jackson.

GEAGLE

Doubt it….expect the WR help on it’s way to be ATleast 6’2

Mr. Wu

don’t say that ….ODB is only 6′

GEAGLE

I think he is the only one special enough for us to draft that doesn’t meet the size requirements…
..
Hey man, our coach literally gave us to the definition of what he views as an elite NFL WR…Size/Speed combo…so many prospects in this draft that won’t be drafted in the top 21 that have that desired size speed, that I think it’s going to take a a special smaller WR for us to pass on the big boys…I think ODB is special enough, but I don’t think Cooks is…we shall see

LookinAtMyGucci

Maybe I’ll get my KB afterall.

oreofestar

Eeeew KB, high ceiling but dangerously low floor he is the definition or boom or bust

LookinAtMyGucci

Based on what? I get you’re all in on Beckham but you have to be a little more open, pal. All KB does is catch touchdowns.

Joe Thomas

Jordan Matthews will be a nice complement to Maclin.

oreofestar

That is my boy

aub32

Can some of you please calm down on projecting Ertz to be the next Jimmy Graham. I get we are all fans, but some of you make us all look like super homers. Zach Ertz will be a top 5 TE. The guy was a backup last year. He never put up 70 yards in a game, and he was getting the least attention out of anyone. Now some of you are saying he’s going to dominate. I hate to sound so negative on a guy I really like, but can we calm down a little on the hyperbole.

Will

Have some faith in the HC Chip Kelly and his plan this ain’t his first rodeo…

aub32

I have faith. I just don’t think that this offense now is better than what it was last year. I eagerly wait to see what we do in the draft. I think people are too dismissive that we just lost our #1 WR. The Saints have Brees and Payton. Both are currently better in my opinion than Chip and Foles. Yet they would be criticized heavily if they lost Graham for nothing. Now DeSean isn’t Graham, but then again Chip and Foles aren’t Brees and Payton.

Will

I have faith we are a better team without DJax…time will tell the draft will reveal more of the plan and in what direction Chip is headed with both the Offense and the Defense in year two…I have faith and trust in Chip Kelly…

aub32

You don’t become a better team by losing one of your top 3 players. He wasn’t a TO. The guy doesn’t have to be friends with everyone. He did his job and was one of the best doing it.

peteike

youre making some solid points here. I think we fans tend to just hope he is more replaceable then he may actually be. Not only did he create for others and effect the defense, he also created a lot of space for himself getting long catches in soft spots in zones. Finding space for first downs etc, not to mention ST and end arounds.

Joe from Easton

I didn’t say he’s the next Jimmy Graham. I actually said Graham is the specific person that I see as a cut above him in every way. there is a big difference between being the fifth best TE in the league and being Graham or Gronk. I believe the system combined with his skill level and comfort in year two will make for a break out year and he will be arguably in the top five at his position. I understand it’s pure speculation, but it’s not because I’m being a homer. It’s because I’ve liked the guy since college and think he has the right tools to be great.

JosephR2225

Nobody is saying Zach Ertz is Jimmy Graham 2.0. That’s ridiculous.

Jimmy Graham is Zach Ertz 0.5.

aub32

Love this. Hilarious!

LookinAtMyGucci

I think the bigger issue is that people might be wrongly allocating his increase in production to cover the loss of Jackson’s. His playing time will increase this year, so he’s going to be cannibalizing more of Celek’s stats than making up for Jackson’s. I’m not saying he won’t help cover some of Jackson’s, but the blanket statement that his increase in yards equates to making up for Jackson’s is incorrect.

quarterback pessimist

With all the concern about lost long-ball production by the media and fans, where is the understanding of how many playoff games have been won with DJ on the roster…hint: it’s a small number…

ochospantalones

Well, doesn’t that mean we should get rid of every veteran on the team? McCoy, Maclin, Cooper, Celek, Peters, Herremans, Cole, Barwin, Ryans, etc. Pretty much everyone who has played more than 3 years and isn’t Carey Williams or Malcolm Jenkins.

Were you campaigning against the Jason Peters extension for the same reason? He’s won fewer playoff games than DeSean.

aub32

Have we won a single post season game with McCoy on the roster? See I can bring up stupid points too.

ochospantalones

The real reason they cut Jackson now is to suppress Foles’ value in his contract year, so Foles’ extension next off-season will be less lucrative.

I’m kidding. Or at least I think I am.

dislikedisqus

You didn’t mention TE’s, who were underused last year. I think the TE’s and Maclin will pick up a lot of the slack,and maybe a rookie will fill the rest. We are going to be more like New England, I think, with a TE emphasis.

Uncle Wonder

if that is so, bout time to upgrade Celek?

dislikedisqus

Ertz is going to get used a lot more. Casey too I suspect.

aub32

The TEs were going to be there with Jackson. Jackson >>> Maclin. So how is Maclin replacing Jackson.

dislikedisqus

The TE’s usage expands. Of DJax’s 82 catches, maybe Maclin catches 65 and the TE’s catch 17 more because more of the offense is designed to get them the ball more often. Ertz will be featured more than last year for sure.

Kev_H

Macklin had more catches and TDs during the years they played together. Whose to say Jackson is better?

Amar (India)

“Who’s affected by Jackson’s absence ?”
That would include the entire Eagles fanbase…

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